iFall in Love
by C.F. Bunnell
Summary: Sam Puckett's mom left her - again. This time she's gone to meet her ex boyfriend in Vegas, and took Sam's house key with her. After the Shay's fly out of Seattle to attend a funeral, Sam's at a loss of where to go. She ends up staying with a certain tech producer...and realizing all things about him she overlooked before. SEDDIE. Written as if iOMG didn't happen.
1. Chapter 1

"Sam! Sam! Get your butt over here!" Pamela Puckett's voice broke through the otherwise quiet apartment. Sam, who had been lounging on her bed, yanked out white earbuds. She drew up her knees, feeling her bare feet slide across her cool comforter. Sam hesitated for a moment, gazing at her open bedroom door. Something about her mother's voice sounded off…

"I'm coming!" she yelled back, throwing her Pearphone down on her bed as she swung her legs over the edge. As she stood, noises from the kitchen made her stop for a minute. The slamming of cabinets, the clank of bottles, the jangle of keys.

"Sam!"

"Okay, okay, chill out!" Sam huffed as she sped out of her room. Rounding the hallway, she gripped the corner of the wall and swung herself into the kitchen. "What's the –" As Sam's eyes landed on her mother, she froze. Three suitcases were piled haphazardly by the door, along with two bottles of wine and a garbage bag overflowing with packaged food. Pam turned to face her daughter, purse swinging around her body as she pivoted. She pursed her lips as she surveyed her daughter.

"You remember Jack, right?"

Sam swallowed, trying to push down the feeling of dread that was rising into her throat.

"Jack. Your ex. From, like, a year ago? The one who stole my money and used it to buy beer?" Pam nodded, looking down at two identical silver keys in her hand.

"Look, Sam. I'll be back soon, okay? He has this apartment now, in _Vegas_. He says he's a changed man, and from the picture he sent me," she paused to wolf whistle with a grin on her face. "Man. He really is."

The tears that began prickling at Sam's eyes soon dissipated into a flash of anger.

"You're leaving? Again? For how long?" Sam stared at her mother, refusing to break her gaze.

She was hoping she wouldn't have to go through this again. The first time her mother left, she was five, and she stayed with her grandmother three cities over. She asked for her mother once before her grandma picked her up and put her in front of the TV with a piece of chocolate cake and a pat on the head. She didn't ask for her mom again, but she was back in five days anyway.

The another time her mother left, she was twelve, and had almost forgotten about the first time. This time, since her grandmother had died three years prior, her mother hired a babysitter. She was a nice high school girl with bad acne who sat on the phone all evening. Her mother was back in three days, gripping her daughter by the shoulders and proclaiming: "Never trust a man who says he's in love but won't even tell you his last name."

The most recent, and what Sam hoped was the last, time her mother left, Sam was almost fifteen. Pamela had her bags packed by the morning, and was carrying a sheer white dress that almost reached her knees.

"Momma's gonna get married!" Pamela announced, smiling. Sam twisted up her face in concentration. She couldn't remember this guy's name, try as she might. Anyways, she doubted it would last. This must be the 16th time her mother had been engaged. Sam smiled anyways, although it didn't meet her eyes, and waved.

"Okay mom. Have fun." Hopefully her mom didn't hear the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

She chose to stay at Carly's house for over a week, enjoying the late-night movies and homemade food, but came back to her own room to sleep. When her mother came back, she almost guiltily wished she had stayed away longer.

Back in the present, Sam's mom set her jaw, although there was an undertone of shame echoing deep in her eyes.

"I don't know. Look, just stay at Carly's. God knows you live there half the time anyways. I already took your key."

Sam's mouth fell open, and her hands that were previously hanging in loose shock curled into fists by her side.

"You're not even letting me stay in the house?"

Pam laughed. "And come back to find it trashed by your new little delinquent friends from juvie? Yeah, right."

Sam locked eyes with her mother for a few seconds, looking at the finality set in them. She tossed up her hands and tried for her best bratty voice.

"Fine! Fine, whatever! How long do I have to pack?"

Sam's mom leaned against a counter, reaching into her pocked to bring out her phone.

"Ten minutes. I have to catch my flight."

Sam nodded once and turned on the balls of her feet, half running towards her room. Her heart was racing, fast strong beats that she could feel in her head. She grabbed her checkered backpack that had been slumped in a corner and proceeded to turn it upside down, dumping the contents on the floor. What little school supplies that had been stored there hit her floor, along with a few fat cake wrappers and crumbs.

Sam straightened up, blowing her bangs out of her eyes as she surveyed her room. _Okay,_ she thought. _Clothes first._ Exhaling shakily, she pulled open her closet door and began stuffing clothes in at random, not paying any mind to what she put in there. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and checked the time. 7 minutes left. She licked her lips, which had become dry, along with her mouth. She hated this.

She scanned her room again, her eyes landing on her laptop resting on a worn wooden desk. She snatched it and pushed it in with the clothes, mentally cursing herself for not putting it in first. It was tough to shove it past all the clothes. She checked her phone again. 4 minutes. She tapped her foot on the floor, desperately trying to remember what she forgot.  
"Money," she whispered, reaching into her sock drawer to pull out $20, made up mostly of crumped $5 and $1 bills.

"Saaam! Sam! I'm leaving!"

Sam swung her bag over her shoulder and raced out of her room, slamming the door shut as she left. When she reached the hallway where her mother was waiting, she stopped. Breathing slightly heavy, Sam stopped, holding her gaze steady at her mom's stomach. Pam seemingly was at a loss for words, and Sam refused to speak or meet her eyes.

"I'll be back soon."

"Ye-p" Sam responded, popping her lips on the 'P' as she studied her mom's shoes. They were old sneakers, faded and cracked in many places.

"Don't get arrested," Pam warned, her mouth turning slightly upward as she drew her daughter in for a hug. Sam looked up, slightly taken aback, and then hugged her mom back.

"I mean, no promises." As she watched her mother lock and deadbolt their door before stepping into the elevator, a twinge of something else poked through her anger. The elevator dinged, and the doors closed, sending her mom downstairs.

She supposed everyone had a vice. For her, it was ending up in handcuffs. For her mother, it was men. Sam only wished her mother's weakness didn't mean her leaving.

Sam wondered if her mother ever had that same thought about her.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN - I forgot about disclaimers in the first chapter, oops. Its been a while since I've posted. I still own nothing. Also please forgive me if there are any mistakes. I just got my nails done and they make typing feel weird .-.**

Sam cringed as she stepped into the elevator, feeling the rather crusty and damp carpet beneath her feet. She cursed, rummaging through her backpack in hopes she packed sandals, socks, _something_ …but no luck.

' _How could I forget shoes?'_ She thought in frustration, running her fingers through her tangled blonde hair. ' _Oh well, I'll just borrow a pair of flip flops when I get to Carly's.'_ She pushed the button for her floor, curling her toes and trying to ignore her disgust.

 **BANG BANG BANG**

"Carls, open up!" Sam yelled into her best friend's door, knocking faster than she was talking. "Come on Carly, I'm starving!" She really was. Her mother didn't get dinner before she left. "Caaarly!"

Suddenly, the door flew open, leaving Sam face to face with a very annoyed looking Freddie, her fist still raised. Tempted as she was to punch him with her fist nearly parallel with his face, she settled for an:

"Ew, move, Freddork!" as she rolled her eyes and pushed past him. As she stepped into the Shay's living room, she could immediately feel the tone shift. It was like stepping into a vacuum; Sam could feel it in the center of her chest. Then, she noticed Carly, who was sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking slightly. Sam watched in minor shock and confusion as Freddie walked past her to sit next to Carly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Granddad died. We just got the call." Spencer, whom Sam didn't notice initially, spoke softly. Sam shifted her gaze over to him; he was more somber than Sam had seen him before, with his features looking heavy and tired.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Sam breathed, rushing over to sit on Carly's other side. Carly sniffed and raised her head, swiping at her eyes roughly. They were tinged pink and quite puffy.

"Thanks," she whispered unevenly, her voice sounding coarse and miserable. "It was just so sudden. I'm going to miss him so much." A fresh wave of tears cascaded down her face, and Sam grabbed her friend's hand. Spencer walked up holding out a box of tissues and looked at Sam and Freddie.

"We have to leave tomorrow morning, to drive out to Yakima for the funeral. We're going to be staying with some family there." Sam and Freddie nodded, both looking slightly uncomfortable and not sure of what to say.

"Can we do anything, Carly?" Sam asked, her tone serious. It was rare to see Sam in a state where she wasn't yelling, making jokes, or throwing out insults.

"No, but thank you." Carly replied, taking a deep breath. "Actually, I'd rather just be alone right now. I have this photo album he gave me and…" She trailed off, standing up. Freddie rose with her, and enveloped her in a hug.

"Try and get some sleep," he whispered, concern written all over his face. Carly nodded and pulled away, hugging Sam as well, and headed up to her room taking the stairs two at a time.

The room transitioned into an awkward, still silence.

"Well," Spencer finally said, "I have to start packing and calling family." He uncrossed his arms and starting walking towards Sam and Freddie.

"We'll be on our way, then," Freddie said with Sam nodding in agreement. Spencer gave a halfhearted smile as they stepped into the hallway, repeating their apologies. As Sam pulled the door closed behind them, the pair paused, looking at each other.

"Wow," Freddie said breathlessly, crossing his arms and looking down.

"Yeah…" Sam muttered, wishing she could do something more to help other than leave. Freddie eyes narrowed, his gaze still downward.

"Sam, where are your shoes?" He asked, bewildered, and raised his eyes just in time to see Sam's fist collide with his arm.

"Ow, what the -" He exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot on his bicep and inhaling sharply.

"Nub," Sam taunted as she walked back towards the elevator, leaving Freddie to return to his apartment.

As good as it felt to take out her aggression on him, Freddie's last comment brought her attention crashing back to her current homelessness situation. She felt bad for the Shay's loss, but she couldn't help but be disappointed at what it meant: her go-to place when she needed somewhere to stay was now not an option. For a brief moment she had considered staying with Freddie, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with him or his mom. Did she find him cute? She would admit it to no one, but yes. Could he also be incredibly annoying? Yes. She sighed anxiously as he feet led her back into the elevator, her mind not really aware of where she was going.

' _Hotel?'_ she considered. No, she didn't have enough money. _'Sleep on a bench?'_ No, she didn't need to add being mugged to her list of problems.

The elevator's high-pitched ding cut through her current train of thought and jostled her back to the present. She looked out at the empty lobby, deciding she would walk around for a while until an idea of where to spend the night came to her. The cold night air hit her face first, perking her up slightly. Then her feet hit the cold, rough pavement. She winced, but after about a minute of walking she adjusted to the discomfort.

Sam spotted a cement ledge about waist high, and pushed herself up to sit with her feet dangling off. She placed her backpack next to her and took out her Pearphone to check the time. 10:37. She bit her lip and leaned forward to peer down the street. It was getting late and she really didn't want to be wandering around with the nighttime drinkers. Sam smiled slightly. She could totally beat any of them in a fight, though.

In the distance, about 10 blocks down, she spotted the luminous blue sign of a Walmart. She felt her hopes lift. It wasn't ideal, but it was somewhere, and she could get a pair of cheap flip flops while she was there.

Sam hopped down, feeling good about her decision. She couldn't wait to get some shoes on; the pavement was rough and kept scraping the bottoms of her feet. She turned to take her backpack when a cold chill ran through her body.

"No!" She yelled, jumping back on the ledge so she could look into the garden bed on the other side. "No!" She repeated, louder this time, her stomach sinking. She looked around wildly, her blonde hair catching the light off nearby streetlamps as it flew around her face.

Her backpack was gone. And nobody was in sight.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Don't worry, I didn't forget about this story! I've been on vacation, and the good thing about that is I've had a lot of time to think of new ideas!**

 **A notable change: After thinking about it, it seemed more in character to have Sam's mom leave more than just a few times. Therefore, I changed the wording when I listed times she left to take out the numbers.**

 **To those who reviewed, favorited, and followed, thank you! I agree that iCarly fan-fiction that has a good plot and isn't OOC is hard to find...that's why I wanted to try and write some myself! I'm glad you guys like it; I'm trying my best to make the characters as close to the show as possible :)**

Sam let out a guttural, animal-like scream as she whipped her head around, looking desperately for her backpack. Her laptop was in there, and that was basically the only nice thing she had. Breathing heavily, she ran to the sides of the ledge, looking in the corners, and then hopped back up to stand where she was previously sitting. She scanned the area around her, but she had to face it: her backpack was gone.

Sam mumbled a string of curses as she sat back down, pounding the side of her hand against the cement. Her eyes landed once more on the overly bright blue supermarket sign. Sam supposed that even though she couldn't buy anything, going to Walmart still wasn't a bad idea. She could hang around for a few hours until security kicked her out, and they had bathrooms and water. Hey, maybe she'd even "borrow" a pair of flip flops. She needed them more than the store did, anyways.

Fuming, but having her mind made up, Sam slide off the ledge and started walking towards the store. She swore she could literally feel her blood boiling under her skin. Because of some whack-job all the things worth anything to her were now gone. If she could only find the guy she'd…end up getting arrested for battery, no doubt. But still, those were her most valuable items, except for her PearPhone which, thank god, was still tucked safely in her pocket. Her belongings deserved to be avenged.

Lost in thought, Sam didn't see the rather scruffy, middle aged man walking until she literally ran right into him. She looked up at the man, taking in his unshaved face, bloodshot eyes, and twitching mouth. "Watch where you're going jerkface!" she snapped, turning to keep walking. The man's eyes looked up and down her body.

"Aren't you feisty, blondie?" he rasped, the corners of his mouth pulling up into a smile. Sam stepped back away from him and proceeded to grab the guy's arm and flip him, staring right into his red and dilated eyes as she did so.

"Don't you touch me, you -!" she yelled down at him as a car horn blared loudly, masking her last words. Stomping on the middle of his gut, she turned and ran as fast as she could towards the apartment complex. She wasn't all that scared, she could take the guy in a fight, but from personal experience the police don't appreciate a brawl in the middle of the street. And then they'd ask where her mom is and…no, thank you, she'll pass on that. Plus, the dude looked like he was on drugs. She met a guy back in juvie whose friend got into a fight with someone on bath salts, and he said it was like fighting a machine: near invincible and unforgiving.

Sam kept running until she was back where she started, standing in the lobby of Carly and Freddie's apartment. She leaned her back against the wall, trying to catch her breath while looking over at the graciously empty front lobby desk. She could feel her hands shaking; as much as she hated to admit it the night had her a little shaken up. Swallowing, she pulled her PearPhone out of her back pocket. She had come to the solution she was trying so hard to ignore the whole night, her Plan Z.

' _There's no way Ms. Benson is going to let me stay there,'_ Sam told herself. _'Yeah,'_ said a quieter voice in her head. _'But who says she's there? Who says Freddie would tell her?'_

"Ugghhh" Sam groaned, scrolling through her contacts until she came upon one labeled "FredNub". It was almost 11. Maybe he wouldn't even be up…"

She tapped on his name and put the phone up to her ear, listening to the rhythmic ringing tone. She tried to pretend that she wasn't starting to shake all over now. _'Sam Puckett isn't fazed by anything,'_ she told herself, swallowing a lump in her throat. _'Kicked out, assaulted, it doesn't matter.'_

On the 5th ring, she was sure he wasn't going to answer. On the 6th ring, he did.

"What the -" he sighed. "Sam, I was almost asleep!" Freddie groaned, his words muddled slightly with drowsiness. He wasn't trying to be quiet, maybe his mom really wasn't there.

"Hey Fred-wad, is you mom home?"

"No, she's over at Carly's helping Spencer with the funeral stuff. Why is that so important right now?" She could hear his frustration over the phone, but she couldn't help smiling. It definitely wasn't Carly's, but at least she'd have somewhere to sleep tonight…even if it was at the geek's house.

"Sam?"

"Yeah, so, I'm coming over." There was silence for a few seconds before Freddie spoke, sounding significantly more awake.

"Right now? What - I just - no you're not." Sam bit her lip to stop from laughing. She could just imagine the shocked look on his face.

"Yep, I am." Sam countered with finality, hitting the red button to hang up.

She stepped into the elevator for what seemed like the hundredth time that night, and pressed the glowing white button labeled "8".


End file.
